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  • Title: Love's Labor's Lost (Folio 1, 1623)
  • Editor: Timothy Billings

    • Copyright Timothy Billings. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Timothy Billings
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Love's Labor's Lost (Folio 1, 1623)

    Loues Labour's lost129
    Sir, your penny-worth is good, and your Goose be fat.
    To sell a bargaine well is as cunning as fast and loose:
    Let me see a fat Lenuoy, I that's a fat Goose.
    Ar. Come hither, come hither:
    870How did this argument begin?
    Boy. By saying that a Costard was broken in a shin.
    Then cal'd you for the Lenuoy.
    Clow. True, and I for a Plantan:
    Thus came your argument in:
    875Then the Boyes fat Lenuoy, the Goose that you bought,
    And he ended the market.
    Ar. But tell me: How was there a Costard broken in
    a shin?
    Pag. I will tell you sencibly.
    880Clow. Thou hast no feeling of it Moth,
    I will speake that Lenuoy.
    I Costard running out, that was safely within,
    Fell ouer the threshold, and broke my shin.
    Arm. We will talke no more of this matter.
    885Clow. Till there be more matter in the shin.
    Arm. Sirra Costard, I will infranchise thee.
    Clow. O, marrie me to one Francis, I smell some Len-
    uoy, some Goose in this.
    Arm. By my sweete soule, I meane, setting thee at li-
    890bertie. Enfreedoming thy person: thou wert emured,
    restrained, captiuated, bound.
    Clow. True, true, and now you will be my purgation,
    and let me loose.
    Arm. I giue thee thy libertie, set thee from durance,
    895and in lieu thereof, impose on thee nothing but this:
    Beare this significant to the countrey Maide Iaquenetta:
    there is remuneration, for the best ward of mine honours
    is rewarding my dependants. Moth, follow.
    Pag. Like the sequell I.
    900Signeur Costard adew. Exit.
    Clow. My sweete ounce of mans flesh, my in-conie
    Iew: Now will I looke to his remuneration.
    Remuneration, O, that's the Latine word for three-far-
    things: Three-farthings remuneration, What's the price
    905of this yncle? i.d. no, Ile giue you a remuneration: Why?
    It carries it remuneration: Why? It is a fairer name then
    a French-Crowne. I will neuer buy and sell out of this
    word.

    Enter Berowne.

    910Ber. O my good knaue Costard, exceedingly well met.
    Clow. Pray you sir, How much Carnation Ribbon
    may a man buy for a remuneration?
    Ber. What is a remuneration?
    Cost. Marrie sir, halfe pennie farthing.
    915Ber. O, Why then three farthings worth of Silke.
    Cost. I thanke your worship, God be wy you.
    Ber. O stay slaue, I must employ thee:
    As thou wilt win my fauour, good my knaue,
    Doe one thing for me that I shall intreate.
    920Clow. When would you haue it done sir?
    Ber. O this after-noone.
    Clo. Well, I will doe it sir: Fare you well.
    Ber. O thou knowest not what it is.
    Clo. I shall know sir, when I haue done it.
    925Ber. Why villaine thou must know first.
    Clo. I wil come to your worship to morrow morning.
    Ber. It must be done this after-noone,
    Harke slaue, it is but this:
    The Princesse comes to hunt here in the Parke,
    930And in her traine there is a gentle Ladie:
    When tongues speak sweetly, then they name her name,
    And Rosaline they call her, aske for her:
    And to her white hand see thou do commend
    This seal'd-vp counsaile. Ther's thy guerdon: goe.
    935Clo. Gardon, O sweete gardon, better then remune-
    ration, a leuenpence-farthing better: most sweete gar-
    don. I will doe it sir in print: gardon, remuneration.
    Exit.
    Ber. O, and I forsooth in loue,
    940I that haue beene loues whip?
    A verie Beadle to a humerous sigh: A Criticke,
    Nay, a night-watch Constable.
    A domineering pedant ore the Boy,
    Then whom no mortall so magnificent,
    945This wimpled, whyning, purblinde waiward Boy,
    This signior Iunios gyant drawfe, don Cupid,
    Regent of Loue-rimes, Lord of folded armes,
    Th'annointed soueraigne of sighes and groanes:
    Liedge of all loyterers and malecontents:
    950Dread Prince of Placcats, King of Codpeeces.
    Sole Emperator and great generall
    Of trotting Parrators (O my little heart.)
    And I to be a Corporall of his field,
    And weare his colours like a Tumblers hoope.
    955What? I loue, I sue, I seeke a wife,
    A woman that is like a Germane Cloake,
    Still a repairing: euer out of frame,
    And neuer going a right, being a Watch:
    But being watcht, that it may still goe right.
    960Nay, to be periurde, which is worst of all:
    And among three, to loue the worst of all,
    A whitly wanton, with a veluet brow.
    With two pitch bals stucke in her face for eyes.
    I, and by heauen, one that will doe the deede,
    965Though Argus were her Eunuch and her garde.
    And I to sigh for her, to watch for her,
    To pray for her, go to: it is a plague
    That Cupid will impose for my neglect,
    Of his almighty dreadfull little might.
    970Well, I will loue, write, sigh, pray, shue, grone,
    Some men must loue my Lady, and some Ione.


    Actus Quartus.


    Enter the Princesse, a Forrester, her Ladies, and
    her Lords.
    975Qu. Was that the King that spurd his horse so hard,
    Against the steepe vprising of the hill?
    Boy. I know not, but I thinke it was not he.
    Qu. Who ere a was, a shew'd a mounting minde:
    Well Lords, to day we shall haue our dispatch,
    980On Saterday we will returne to France.
    Then Forrester my friend, Where is the Bush
    That we must stand and play the murtherer in?
    For. Hereby vpon the edge of yonder Coppice,
    A Stand where you may make the fairest shoote.
    985Qu. I thanke my beautie, I am faire that shoote,
    And thereupon thou speak'st the fairest shoote.
    For. Pardon me Madam, for I meant not so.
    Qu. What, what? First praise me, & then again say no.
    O short liu'd pride. Not faire? alacke for woe.
    L5 For. Yes.
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